Just hanging out with the gang! Barely had time to snap this shot of Triple Alpha before he reached my knees... They are too darn cute even if a bit too rambunctious at night.. at 5 AM, they knocked over a flower pot full of dry dirt, took the soil out and were using the pot as a play ball... it was rolling all over the deck!!! On the first photo, you can see Mom sandwiched by two of the more timid babies.

7-23-06

Today
Camas turned 100 years old. As you can see lots of folks came to celebrate. Normally, it is a very quiet and quaint little town reminiscent of days long gone. Checkout the history of the Liberty Theater built in 1927. One of the few remaining neighborhood movie houses in the country.
The Camas Main Post Office is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it is where all your packages are mailed from (unless we take them to the post office located at PDX, the Portland airport). It was built in 1939 and is significant for its art and its legacy of the Federal public works programs of the depression era. The building is an unaltered example of a small town single-purpose post office. It is closed on Saturdays and closes at 5 PM on weekdays.

7-22-06

Today, Bill was dragged out of the shop for a walk back at Cottonwood Beach and Dike Trail. Long walks start in daylight and end in sunsets.... one word: STUNNING! I do not know if you'll be able to see but the birds are Canadian Geese. Behind Bill, in the pink hue is MT Hood.

7-21-06

Change of trails. Today, it is time to visit Cottonwood Beach in Washougal. It is 10 mn by car from the house. The trail takes you to the beach and through a wooded area. I walked along "Dike Trail" which is an access trail to Cottonwood Beach and 3.1 miles.

You are looking at the last mile portion of the trail. Those gorgeous fields reminds me of Provence and don't you just love our stunning Pacific NW sky?

The two last photos were taken at the end of the 2 hrs walk at 9 PM. In the background of the last photo, the steam is from the Camas papermill.

Remains the question of "What is that red dot??" well, that's where the deer is (right below the dot) and no... you cannot see it on this tiny photo!! that is why a new zoom camera is a must... right?? Uh, should I venture "business expenses" here.....

7-18-06

I heard someone say.. how about YOU? Where are you in those photos? Well, I've become camera shy but for those taken 2 years ago on the BIG birthday.. the one that is spelled 50 !! I was kidnapped by my best friend for a day of escapades in Long Beach, WA. We first stopped in Astoria, OR for lunch. This was my first day off in a very long time and shortly after we finally completed our move to the Pacific Northwest.

7-17-06

Meet the rest of the family... from left to right, top row then second row:

Pumpkin, the "million" dollars kitty due to his many medical problems and resulting high veterinary bills...

Lucky, the Florida girl, found on the side of a highway late at night when doing a show in Clearwater. She made the trip cross-country to join the family... her pet name is... "Lady Boss"... Girls rule!

Charlie, was found in the street across from our house in San Francisco. He was so tiny, he sat comfortably in the palm of my hand! He was chosen to be the mascot for Le Video in San Francisco and named after the famous Charlie Chaplin by the store crew!

Puffy. Aka: "Old Blue Eyes"... has the loudest purr you've ever heard! and at least once a day, he makes sounds straight out of the Exorcist... has to be seen and heard to be believed!

Cleo, Pinpin's littermate. As a kitten, she decided she HATED dogs. Her luck! we shared our lives with not 1 or 2 but FOUR German Shepherds!! fifteen years later, 7 dogs later.... she has not changed her mind! and that cat tree is her domain.

7-18-06

Second walk around the Lacamas Lake and keeping the pace at 4 miles.... in 2 hrs... no speed record but good for the soul! Will be buying a new digital camera... one of those with a super optical zoom to capture the critters encountered along the paths. Life is back! I must say I enjoy staying home rather than being on the stamp show circuit... though miss seeing some of you a great deal!

It is kinda of weird to be writing this blog... when the site is not open yet!!! though it feels like I am getting the hang of it... please let me know if you enjoy it... writing is not my forte!

So here are few more sightseeing photos.

Can you spot the bunny rabbit??

7-16-06

We live in one of the most beautiful part of the world, and I've started taking long walks 3 times a week. The Lacamas Lake is located 3mn by car from where we live. This is my first walk... 4 miles! Can you tell it was awsome? The lake trails are 6 miles... a 12 miles round trip!.

How many raccoons can you count? In reality, we have 8. Yeap! 2 mommies, one with 4 babies and one with 2 babies. The mothers have been our guests for the past year. They love grapes which they delicately take from my hand and every night we do look forward to their visit. They also come during daytime which we try to discourage as to avoid any potential conflict with our six cats.

For the past 3 years, everyone gets along. Our cats have had longtime relationships with the urban raccoons of San Francisco, so we were apprehensive of them feeling safe around rural raccoons. Now, that we do have a "personal" relationship with them we feel more confident... though remain aware of the fact they are wild.

The babies are really fun to watch. They are impossible to distinguish by their markings but each has a very marked personality... especially "Triple Alpha", "The Shy One" and "The Clown". Triple Alpha is F E A R L E S S.... as a matter of fact, he's so fearless that I am unable to take a photo of him close range... 'cause he wants to get in my lap!!

We've installed a plastic tub for them and they play in it for hours. It is on the left side of the deck. On the cat tree you can see two of the babies looking at us.

Check out great Architectural and unusual Scenic rubber stamps from Imagine, a line from Switzerland that you will only find on our website. The images are all handrawn by Francois and his lovely wife Christi. Oh! and yes...they do have darling teddy bears and cats... cute but not cute!... ya'll know what I mean!!

Our dog Eli, the baby of the family, passed away of a heart attack today. He was only 4 years old! We are in shock... and so are the cats! The household has never been so quiet.

He was a very spirited fellow who escaped death from the animal shelter in San Francisco where he was rescued from at 6 months of age. He did not like his jail time and was letting everyone know. He enjoyed going for car rides each day when we took the mail orders to the post office. As soon as we started to pack the rubber stamps, he was in the "let's go" mode!

4-15-06

While we are on the subject of cats, here are 3 gorgeous artworks from our dear friend Purnima

03-28-06

Saying Goodbye

Pinpin was the elder of the family. Though he'd been blind for the last couple of years due to tyroid problems, he enjoyed his move from San Francisco to the hills of Fern Prairie. The southern facing deck was his domain whether soaking in the sun or discovering snow for the first time. He and his special loud meow are sorely missed.

3-15-06

More family album photos. Meet Bill, your devoted rubber stamp maker (on a break) and Eli who supervise everything and can't wait to greet the UPS and Fedex drivers
who bring him cookies. He reminds us everyday that it is time for the daily trip to the Post Office.

Four of our six cats waiting for all the lights to go off so that they can move in position on our chests and legs... and yes, the painting is finally hanging on the wall.. this photo was taken shortly after we moved in!

03-06-06

Meet Tux!

Tux is between 3 and 5 years old and is a feral cat that we were feeding on our deck. He's a lover. Give hugs and kisses. He's very happy to be indoors though the 6 other cats are giving him a hard time... especially the two girls!! Eli is VERY interested by all his moves.